It’s All About You: Tips for Writing a Memoir-Part 1

Everyone has a story to write and that story just might be about you. A memoir can sometimes be more difficult to write than other types of writing, so here are a few tips to help you get started.

Autobiography vs. Memoir: Know the difference between an autobiography and a memoir. A memoir is a significant part of your life, not your whole life story. An autobiography spans your entire life. Focus your attention on a significant part of your life when writing your memoir.

Find Your Focus: When you are thinking about your life so far, is there a particular event or period that stands out? Pick an experience or period of time that you want to write about and keep that as your focus. You can pull in other stories that might relate to the topic you picked, but make sure you don’t stray too far from your focus.

Be Honest: Tell the truth and don’t leave out parts because they don’t make you look good. Show your character flaws and talk about some embarrassing situations or bad decisions. The reader needs to feel you are being honest so your story is more relatable.

Writing a memoir can be therapeutic and help you examine your life, so whether you are planning on publishing or just writing it for yourself, we encourage everyone to write their own memoir. It might seem like a daunting task, but it will feel rewarding in the end.

I am very pleased with the work you've done on my book. Your suggestions and corrections were spot-on and you took my lumps of words and smoothed them out in to a what now reads as a polished and certainly more fluid piece. I wish you and Pypeline much success and do see a busy future for the two of you. I am working on other projects and will no doubt call on you again for help.
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